The Sofia Globehttp://sofiaglobe.com
Bulgaria’s independent English-language news and features website.Tue, 26 Sep 2017 16:55:07 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.253016765noBulgaria’s independent English-language news and features website.42.654423.3649http://sofiaglobe.comhttp://sofiaglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/TheSofiaGlobe-logo_80x79.pngThe Sofia GlobeBulgarian government plans staff cuts through merging public service departmentshttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/26/bulgarian-government-plans-staff-cuts-through-merging-public-service-departments/
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 12:11:25 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66788The Bulgarian government is launching a project with the World Bank as consultant to reduce the bloated public service administration by merging departments with the same functions. The concept envisages […]]]>

The Bulgarian government is launching a project with the World Bank as consultant to reduce the bloated public service administration by merging departments with the same functions.

The concept envisages the closure of numerous departments that deal with the same things and the establishment of centralised services.

Departments targeted for mergers include accounting, payroll, human resources, legal departments and IT units. If successful, the changes could lead to significant staff cuts and savings on salaries.

However, there are currently no forecasts or accurate estimates of how many state employees would be affected or precisely what the savings in state spending would be.

For its advisory services, the World Bank will be paid 2.4 million leva (about 1.2 million euro). The project will cost five million leva, with funding from the European Union’s good governance programme, the successor to the EU’s administrative capacity operational programme.

Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev said that currently, every department, even the smallest one, had its own accountants, lawyers, human resources managers and other activities that were the same for all the administrations.

“We are introducing the principle of shared services in the organisation and the work of the central administration,” Donchev said.

Two ministries will be chosen for pilot projects by the end of 2018, with the establishment of a centralised service for human resources and accounting for all their agencies and sub-agencies.

The contract with the World Bank on the pilot scheme was signed in early May by the caretaker administration of the time, headed by Ognyan Gerdzhikov.

It is envisaged that the World Bank will assess possible approaches to shared document flows, human resources management, finance and IT.

There will be a review of at least five international practices for shared services in administrations, from which the Bulgarian government should choose which are the most suitable for implementation in this country.

Donchev said that by 2020, this approach should be applied to at least 10 administrations.

Recently, Menda Stoyanova, head of the Bulgarian National Assembly’s committee on the Budget, said that 30 per cent of the country’s public service employees were superfluous.

Donchev said that some of the officials from the services that would be shut down would be re-qualified and moved on to other posts.

According to the most recent report on Bulgaria’s public administration, in 2016 it employed a total of 132 648 people, plus 11 779 people that were not state employees. Compared with 2015, this was a reduction in the number of public servants of about 5000, however, 35 state and municipal structures had not reported their staff numbers.

The World Bank also will prepare an assessment of the management of recreational facilities owned by state and government departments. It is possible that the management of these also may be centralised.

“More than 100 recreational facilities are managed by the state administration, but they do not work well, they incur losses and the quality of their services is bad,” Donchev said.

One reason is that the earnings from these facilities goes to the central budget and the staff have no incentive to attract more guests. “This model will change, for example of a common model for bookings and reservations will be offered,” Donchev said.

(Photo: Marcel Hol/sxc.hu)

]]>66788Alpha Research September 2017 poll: Borissov’s GERB 25.1%, Bulgarian Socialist Party 19.3%http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/26/alpha-research-september-2017-poll-borissovs-gerb-25-1-bulgarian-socialist-party-19-3/
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 11:23:45 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66780Six months after Bulgaria’s March 26 2017 early parliamentary elections, the picture of support for major political parties is largely unchanged and elections now would produce a similar Parliament, going […]]]>

Six months after Bulgaria’s March 26 2017 early parliamentary elections, the picture of support for major political parties is largely unchanged and elections now would produce a similar Parliament, going by the results of a poll by Alpha Research.

The Alpha Research poll results announced on September 26 showed Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s GERB party as having 25.1 per cent support and Kornelia Ninova’s opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party at 19.3 per cent.

The gap between the two parties is similar to that in March, when in the elections GERB got 32.65 per cent and the BSP 27.2 per cent.

Support for the United Patriots, the grouping of nationalist and far-right parties that is the minority partner in Borissov’s third government, is down from the nine per cent it won in the March elections, to 5.9 per cent, according to the Alpha Research poll, which was done between September 13 and 20 2017. However, the United Patriots still would be the third-largest group in Parliament.

The poll showed the opposition Movement for Rights and Freedoms in fourth place, at 4.8 per cent. In the March elections, it had just less than nine per cent.

The one significant change, should parliamentary elections be held now in Bulgaria, is that Vesselin Mareshki’s populist Volya party – currently the smallest group in the National Assembly, with 12 MPs – would not be returned. It had 1.8 per cent support, according to Alpha Research. The threshold for election to the Bulgarian National Assembly is four per cent.

Other parties below the threshold for election, according to Alpha Research, are the Reformist Bloc (2.2 per cent), Hristo Ivanov’s Yes Bulgaria (1.6 per cent) and New Republic (0.8 per cent). About 7.9 per cent support was spread out among a range of other parties.

BSP leader Ninova’s approval rating has fallen three per cent in the past three months, to 24 per cent.

Krassimir Karakachanov, a co-leader of the United Patriots and leader of the nationalist VMRO party, has an approval rating of 29 per cent – among political party leaders, second only to Borissov.

United Patriots co-leader and National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria party leader Valeri Simeonov has gained a point in his approval rating, but at the same time, his disapproval rating has increased sharply.

Volen Siderov, the third co-leader of the United Patriots and leader of the Ataka party, has an approval rating unchanged at five per cent and one of the highest disapproval ratings.

Alpha Research said that its regularly quarterly survey of public political attitudes had found that, as at September 2017, a moderate economic upturn, coupled with falling unemployment and income growth in larger cities, had led to a reduction of the social tensions that had been typical of the past year.

Policies seen as the relatively most successful were infrastructure (51 per cent), foreign policy (43 per cent) tourism (42 per cent) and partly education (31 per cent).

While there were some reservations, there was public approval for the plan to increase the salaries of teachers and to reduce the number of school dropouts.

At the bottom of the approval rankings were the judiciary, health care and the fight against crime.

Those fifth of Bulgarians who approved of the work of the third Borissov government based this on the economic indicators and foreign policy.

On the other hand, controversies surrounding GERB politicians, as well as the unconvincing actions in relation to the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption were consolidating the numbers of those who disapproved of the Borissov government, with a rise from 33 per cent to 38 per cent.

Bulgarian head of state President Roumen Radev (elected in 2016 on a ticket backed by the opposition BSP) had a slightly decreased approval rating, at 54 per cent, while only 13 per cent declared disapproval of his performance. In the past three months, Radev’s approval rating has dropped three points.

In line with the trends of several years, Bulgaria’s Parliament, prosecution and the courts continued to have very low levels of trust.

Forty-five per cent of those polled did not believe that Bulgaria was winning or could win the fight against corruption at the highest levels.

Alpha Research has initiated new questions, regarding Bulgaria’s forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Twenty-five per cent of those polled believed that Bulgaria’s EU Presidency would be a success, while 56 per cent said that it would not be a success but would see no gaffes, while 16 per cent expected it to be a failure.

Alpha Research said that since its previous poll three months ago, trust in the Borissov government was at an unchanged level, at about 21 per cent.

Notably, only 13 per cent of United Patriots’ voters approved of the work of the Cabinet, against 41 per cent disapproval.

Sixty-one per cent of those polled wanted the current government to serve out its full four-year term, rather than the country going to early parliamentary elections.

The Alpha Research poll was carried out through 1030 face-to-face interviews in various cities and towns across Bulgaria.

]]>66780Former United Patriots local leader pleads guilty to people-trafficking chargeshttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/26/former-united-patriots-local-leader-pleads-guilty-to-people-trafficking-charges/
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 11:19:37 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66785A former local leader of Valeri Simeonov’s National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria – part of the United Patriots grouping of nationalist parties – has reached a plea-bargain with […]]]>

A former local leader of Valeri Simeonov’s National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria – part of the United Patriots grouping of nationalist parties – has reached a plea-bargain with prosecutors on people-trafficking charges, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Plovdiv said.

Anelia Veleva and five other accused have agreed on plea bargains with prosecutors, subject to approval by the court.

Veleva pleaded guilty and if the plea bargain is approved, will be sentenced to a three-year suspended sentence with a probationary period of five years.

The former co-ordinator of the NFSB in Kostinbrod, Veleva was held, along with the other five, on July 22 when police intercepted a convoy of cars transporting migrants on Trakiya Motorway, en route from the Turkish border to Bulgaria’s border with Serbia.

Veleva, who after her arrest gave a number of media interviews denying wrongdoing, said on July 28 that she was resigning from the NFSB.

Led by Simeonov, the NFSB is a constituent party of the United Patriots, a grouping of far-right and ultra-nationalist parties that is the minority partner in GERB leader Boiko Borissov’s current coalition government.

A tough line against illegal migration and curtailing of facilities for refugees is a signature issue for the United Patriots.

]]>66785Bulgarian PM Borissov meets United Patriots: ‘No problems in the governing coalition’http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/26/bulgarian-pm-borissov-meets-united-patriots-no-problems-in-the-governing-coalition/
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 10:00:53 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66774Bulgarian Prime Minister and GERB party leader Boiko Borissov held talks on September 26 with the three co-leaders of the United Patriots, with the meeting agreeing that there were “no […]]]>

Bulgarian Prime Minister and GERB party leader Boiko Borissov held talks on September 26 with the three co-leaders of the United Patriots, with the meeting agreeing that there were “no problems between the coalition partners”.

The United Patriots, a grouping of far-right and ultra-nationalist parties, is the minority partner in the third Borissov government, formed in May 2017 after early parliamentary elections.

The meeting came after, in recent days, Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov, one of the three co-leaders of the United Patriots, complained that there had been no dialogue with Borissov lately.

Simeonov’s claim was contradicted by Krassimir Karakachanov, another of the United Patriots’ co-leaders and Defence Minister in the Borissov government, who said that he spoke to the Prime Minister regularly – even though they were in separate buildings, unlike Simeonov who has an office in the main Cabinet building.

The September 26 meeting produced an agreement to meet more regularly.

Karakachanov, Siderov and Simeonov, the ‘United Patriots’.

Borissov said that the coalition council meeting was held “because I and Deputy Prime Minister Valeri Simeonov were at work all summer and the others were on holiday and there was little pressure in this regard”.

Asked about demands for salaries of employees in the security sector to be increased, Borissov said: “Most of all, I want the income of police, firefighters, teachers, military and pensioners increase. The moment we see what the revenue is, we will think about the police”.

As to protests planned by Interior Ministry employees from January 1, Borissov said that he did not operate under pressure and added that he would meet with the trade unions whenever they wanted, to show them the financial parameters.

Borissov said that money also should be spent on court police, ambulance and nursing staff “and this cannot happen immediately”.

He said that he would discuss with the defence and interior ministers how much the state should increase the budgets of these ministries.

]]>66774Bulgaria begins roadshows on the country’s 2018 EU Presidencyhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/26/bulgaria-begins-roadshows-on-the-countrys-2018-eu-presidency/
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 09:59:28 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66782A series of meetings with Bulgarians in various towns to answer their questions about the country’s priorities for its 2018 Presidency of the Council of the European Union begins on […]]]>

A series of meetings with Bulgarians in various towns to answer their questions about the country’s priorities for its 2018 Presidency of the Council of the European Union begins on September 26.

A statement by the ministry in charge of the presidency said that minister Liliyana Pavlova and the deputy minister for relations with the European Parliament, Monika Panayotova, would be involved in the meetings.

The public discussions are taking place in partnership with the European Commission’s Europe Direct, the information service on EU policies.

The first of the series of meetings is taking place in the Bulgarian town of Kyustendil, where Pavlova will present the priorities and messages of the Bulgarian EU Presidency – “what precisely the Europe of consensus means, what our goals in the field of competitiveness are, why cohesion is important in each of our lives”.

]]>66782Economic crisis produced 40% plunge in business trips in EU after 2007 – Eurostathttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/26/economic-crisis-produced-40-plunge-in-business-trips-in-eu-after-2007-eurostat/
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 08:32:10 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66770The number of business trips in the European Union dropped by 40 per cent between 2007 and 2015, the years after the beginning of the global economic and financial crisis, […]]]>

The number of business trips in the European Union dropped by 40 per cent between 2007 and 2015, the years after the beginning of the global economic and financial crisis, going by figures released by EU statistics agency Eurostat on September 26.

The number of business trips declined, “possibly because of a reduction in travel budgets and because more sustainable, time and cost efficient means of communicating are now widespread,” Eurostat said.

Between 2007 and 2015, the number of business trips dropped by 6.3 per cent on average per year, from 206 million in 2007 to 123 million in 2015.

However, overall the economic crisis of the past decade did not strongly affect tourism in the EU, Eurostat said in a release of figures to mark World Tourism Day. At the same time, Eurostat said that tourism has developed very differently depending on whether the trips were made for personal or professional purposes.

Between 2007 and 2015, the number of trips made by EU tourists for personal purposes (leisure, holidays or visiting friends and relatives) remained roughly stable at about a billion trips a year.

The travel seasons differ according to the reason for travelling. EU residents travel as tourists mainly in July and August, with a quarter of all annual trips made for personal purposes carried out in these two months.

The popularity for taking holidays in July and August is highest for Greek tourists (accounting for over half of their annual trips) and lowest for Germans (19.9 per cent). From the 28 EU member states, only Croatian residents prefer to travel for personal purpose in June.

On the other hand, business trips take place mainly in March and June, closely followed by September and November, Eurostat said.

]]>66770“I am a new teacher in Sofia, and I want to give up”http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/26/i-am-a-new-teacher-in-sofia-and-i-want-to-give-up/
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 03:26:31 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66709The situation in many state schools in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities is difficult, to say the least. Many teachers and students seem to be demotivated. Bulgaria will lose half […]]]>

The situation in many state schools in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities is difficult, to say the least. Many teachers and students seem to be demotivated. Bulgaria will lose half its state school teachers within a few years, since some 50% are close to becoming pensioners. Most older teachers will not improve things, but just wait for their pension, while continuing with their old-fashioned approach. It depends on the school, but there is a strong tendency of this kind.

Svetoslava Mihailova (name changed) from Varna is 38 years old. At a school in Sofia, she just started her first job as a full-time German teacher for grades 9 to 11. But she is already thinking about quitting. Here is why.

I have taught German before, at two private language schools. Sure, some little issues surfaced once in a while, like when our boss refused to give us our certificates for continuing education trainings, or when they would not give me enough courses one semester.

But the difference between those jobs and the one at that Sofia state school, which I just started, is like day and night. Of course I had read and heard about problems our education system faces, but nothing prepared me for the situation I am in now, along with 60,000 colleagues in all of Bulgaria.

On my first day, two weeks before the summer vacation ended, my headmistress showed me around, and I got to know some kind colleagues. We are almost a hundred teachers.

When they told me I would have to tell them three days in advance, in order to be able to print sheets or make Xerox copies for my classes, I thought they were joking. They weren’t. Today, well over a week since the students came back from their vacation, I have to pay for important copies myself.

In one of my classes, many students seem to be interested in learning. In the two other groups, many of those 16-year-olds are arrogant. They do not respect me, each other, or anyone. On the first day of school, I asked one of the boys what his name was. He said “Clitoris”. I asked him if he could spell that.

Again: It is not so much about me. These guys, and some girls too, call each other names in class, disrupting it for the few who are actively taking part. A student who is part of the Turkish minority seems to be used to be called Turk. “Hey, Turkish idiot, just get lost”. He might be numb by now, since he must have gotten that kind of treatment for many years.

The students need to have those German language books listed in the curriculum. So, I told them which ones to purchase. Many students said they would not buy those books, since they were expensive and they would not use them at home anyway. How is anyone supposed to teach any language without those books, without Xerox copies, without motivation?

On my third day of classes, a girl told me not to speak in the target language in class, because it “disturbed” her. This shows how many language classes were taught by some of those elderly ladies: They would hold speeches, in Bulgarian, about German grammar. No conversational skills would be transported.

I am not the kind of teacher who would just sit on her desk and wait until the class is over. My approach is the opposite. I use humour to get my student’s attention, I am nimble-witted and under normal circumstances, I would not take no for an answer. But this is different.

One of the questions I am asking myself is: Who is responsible for the situation in many Bulgarian state schools? Blaming the students only does not make a lot of sense. These are grades 9 to 11. They have been in this system for many years and the system has demotivated them.

Blaming those old ladies, who have been doing their job for decades, does not lead to anything either. Sure, their teaching concept might be antiquated and simply bad. On the other hand, what does the state expect from them? They are getting 400 Euro per month, there are no professional development courses, and there never have been.

Younger teachers, who happen to end up in a state school, like the one I am at, basically have two choices. They can either be part of the old bullshit approach by not doing anything. Don’t make the students buy the books they need, don’t teach them effectively, but just wait until the bell rings. Then go home and spend your 400 Euro salary. I partially understand the thoughts and feelings of the teachers who follow this strategy.

Or they can fight for improvement, but all the way. You are not allowed to make Xerox copies? Raise a scandal. The students do not want to buy books? Talk to the parents and the headmistress. Your headmaster defends the old-fashioned way of doing nothing? Complain to the Ministry of Education or to Mrs. Fandakova. Make a difference.

But you can’t change the education system on your own. You better make sure many colleagues help you. The fight for improvement needs motivation too, like teaching, and like learning.

Our education system is light years from those advanced ones in some Scandinavian countries and we will probably never get there. But we do need improvement, and we need it fast. Will I be part of a movement which makes a difference at the schools? I have not made up my mind, but I can’t do this alone. And I’m demotivated.

]]>66709Bulgaria’s Borissov and Radev congratulate Merkel on German election resulthttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/25/bulgarias-borissov-and-radev-congratulate-merkel-on-german-election-result/
Mon, 25 Sep 2017 10:00:45 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66761Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and President Roumen Radev separately expressed congratulations to Angela Merkel after the CDU-CSU got the largest share of votes in Germany’s Bundestag elections held on […]]]>

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and President Roumen Radev separately expressed congratulations to Angela Merkel after the CDU-CSU got the largest share of votes in Germany’s Bundestag elections held on September 24.

“Voter support is the most eloquent expression of the high appreciation for the success of your state policy and vision for the development of Germany and Europe,” Radev told Merkel in a cable.

Radev expressed the wish of the Bulgarian people to deepen and strengthen the friendly relations between Bulgaria and Germany, based on deep historical links and constructive co-operation within the EU and Nato.

“Only through joint efforts can we successfully tackle today’s challenges and contribute to building a strong and prosperous Europe in a fairer and more peaceful world,” Radev told Merkel.

Borissov wrote on Twitter: “Congratulations to Angela Merkel! Europe will remain strong and united “.

Borissov said that the results of the German elections were of critical importance for the future of a united Europe and the support received was the highest recognition of the policy pursued.

He said that Angela Merkel, as the leader of the strongest political power in Germany, will be able to rely on Bulgaria in the future.

Borissov said that that he values Merkel’s highly personal commitment to the development of Bulgarian-German relations and the support that Germany gives to Bulgaria within the EU.

]]>66761Three-quarters of Bulgarian primary school pupils are learning English – Eurostathttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/25/three-quarters-of-bulgarian-primary-school-pupils-are-learning-english-eurostat/
Mon, 25 Sep 2017 09:59:18 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66763About 74.5 per cent of Bulgarian primary school pupils are studying English as a foreign language, according to statistics released by EU statistics agency Eurostat on the eve of September […]]]>

About 74.5 per cent of Bulgarian primary school pupils are studying English as a foreign language, according to statistics released by EU statistics agency Eurostat on the eve of September 26, the European Day of Languages.

In all, 82.9 per cent of Bulgarian primary school pupils are learning a foreign language.

About 81.4 per cent were studying one foreign language and 1.5 per cent were studying two or more.

The second-most studied language among Bulgarian primary school pupils was Russian – but at some vast distance behind English, at 1.5 per cent, Eurostat said.

In 2015, almost 19 million primary school pupils (or 84 per cent of all the pupils at this level) in the EU were studying at least one foreign language, including a million (about five per cent) who were studying two foreign languages or more.

]]>66763Fast is the new cool: Sofia Marathon coming uphttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/25/fast-is-the-new-cool-sofia-marathon-coming-up/
Mon, 25 Sep 2017 03:55:04 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66732Sitting in arm chairs while staring at screens and munching potato chips is nice. But running like crazy and overtaking them all is a lot better, at least for those […]]]>

Sitting in arm chairs while staring at screens and munching potato chips is nice. But running like crazy and overtaking them all is a lot better, at least for those ready to to sweat like pigs, while sprinting from A to B. Well, it’s actually from A back to A, for most participants.

The Sofia Marathon in Bulgaria (sorry, I needed this ford for SEO purposes) is coming up on October 15, 2017. And it has a new name: Wizz Air Sofia Marathon. Whoever wants to show the world just how fast he or she is, needs to register by October 8. Registering early, by October 2, will save every participant 10 Leva in registration fees.

But there are choices to make, beforehand. Depending on how cool, hip and fast any participant wants to be, he or she needs to choose between a total of four races:

> 3 kilometers: The one for cowards and lazy buggers is 3 km long (no offense, the author of these lines would never be able to win even this one). It’s just the right race for those who just want to take part in the Wizz Air Sofia Marathon, somehow, without overdoing it. Start: At 9:40 am.

Last year’s winner Guteta Biratu (center) and the participants Balcha and Kibire, who did very well too.

> 10.5 kilometers: Wow. Not bad. Just the right race for heroes and heroines who want to be sure they are running a real race, as opposed to the participants of the chicken race mentioned above. This one will start at 10:20 am.

> 21.09 kilometers: Now, this is a lot more impressive. Whoever runs this one, will go down in history as someone who did run the second best race. Participants will probably not be laughed at, but they won’t be asked for autographs either. Start: 10:10 am.

> 42.22 kilometers: O.k., this one seperates the men from the boys, and the ladies from the girls. Winning or almost winning this one will make anyone a star. Admiration and fame will for sure be waiting for you, if you manage this one. Start: 10:00 am.

The starting point and the finish line for the longer races will be located in front of the National Stadium Vassil Levski, at the intersection of Boulevard Evlogi i Hristo Georgiev and Gurko Street.

After registering, participants can pick up their bib with their number at the parking lot next to the stadium, from October 12 “since” 3 pm, it says on the official Wizz Air Sofia Marathon website. The latter contains all details, including the fact that the Sofia Marathon route is “sertified”.

Winners will not only receive medals, but also cash prizes of up to 8,000 Leva (long race).

Last year’s winner of the big race was Guteta Biratu from Ethiopia. He did the 42-kilometer race in truly impressive 2 hours, 15 minutes and 45 seconds.

]]>66732Bulgaria makes it into German televised post-election discussionhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/24/bulgaria-makes-it-into-german-televised-post-election-discussion/
Sun, 24 Sep 2017 20:27:44 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66743After polling stations in Germany closed and the first results were in, the top candidates of the seven parties in the next Bundestag had their traditional “Berlin Round”, a televised […]]]>

After polling stations in Germany closed and the first results were in, the top candidates of the seven parties in the next Bundestag had their traditional “Berlin Round”, a televised discussion. Bulgaria, the country this publication is based in, became part of it, during the closing statements.

Chancellor Angela Merkel was asked whether more European countries should become part of the Euro zone. She said there were not that many E.U. countries left which did not have the Euro yet. Any country which fulfilled the criteria should be allowed to join the zone, she stated.

“We do not say things like ‘Since you are Bulgaria, you can not become part of the zone'”, Merkel said. In the past weeks, an admittance of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen and Euro zones had been discussed in Brussels, Germany and Austria.

But the main focus of that big discussion on German TV was on the entry of a far-right, populist party into the Bundestag, and the question how the other parties should deal with it. The radical AfD (“Alternative for Germany”) got more than 13 percent of the votes, according to prelimenary results.

Most party candidates said they wanted to react to the AfD plainly and consistently, while Patrick Lindner, the head of the liberal party FDP indicated, ignoring the radical party’s comments now and then was the right way.

The only politician who managed to truly expose the AfD during this TV discussion was Katja Kipping of Die Linke (“The Left”). She said, the far-right party would name problems, including unemployment, and blame all of them on the refugees in Germany.

Another big subject of the discussion on German TV was the future government coalition. Martin Schulz, the head and top candidate of the Social-Democratic Party (SPD) said, his party would leave the Grand Coalition it is part of. He called Chancellor Merkel a “vaccum cleaner for ideas”, implicating she had taken away political initiatives started by his party.

Schulz’s tone towards Merkel was far more confrontational than it had been in many years. The SPD’s strategy seems to be to rebuild its reputation in the opposition. With around 20.7 percent, the centrist party received the worst result since World War II.

Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted she was disappointed because of her party’s losses of almost 9 percent, compared to the last parliamentary elections, four years ago. Her CDU ended up with approximately 32.8 percent.

But she also reminded viewers of the fact that she still heads the strongest party and that “nobody can govern without us”. Merkel rejected the idea of forming a minority government.

A four-way coalition, made up of Angela Merkel’s CDU, it’s Bavarian sister party CSU, the liberal FDP and The Greens, is now one of the most discussed subjects in Germany.

The preliminary election result was the following (updated on Monday morning):

> CDU/CSU (Merkel): 33%

> SPD (Schulz): 20.5%

> The Left: 9.2%

> The Greens: 8.9%

> AfD (radical right): 12.6%

> FDP (liberal): 10.7%

In the meantime, a German election party took place in Sofia. The German Embassy had invited some 250 people to a “Wahlnacht” event in the Losenets quarter. Herbert Salber, the new German Ambassador to Bulgaria, thanked everyone for coming.

Hardly anyone was shocked about the results, since they had been expected, at least more or less. In a “guess the results” competition, the winner got a Lufthansa flight ticket. Lufthansa’s only Bulgarian Airbus A380 pilot Mario Bakalov, who is very prominent in Bulgaria, was one of the guests.

Photo at top of page (not visible on small devices): Angela Merkel (center), talking in front of her party. Source: Screen shot from one of her social media channels.

]]>66743German election results live: Angela Merkel’s CDU largest party, record low for SPD, AfD to be third power in Bundestaghttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/24/german-election-results-live-angela-merkels-cdu-largest-party-record-low-for-spd-afd-to-be-third-power-in-bundestag/
Sun, 24 Sep 2017 17:13:57 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66741What we know so far: — Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats stretch their lead as the strongest force in parliament, despite a nine-percent dip compared to their 2013 haul. — Martin Schulz’s […]]]>

What we know so far:
— Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats stretch their lead as the strongest force in parliament, despite a nine-percent dip compared to their 2013 haul.
— Martin Schulz’s Social Democrats slip to 20 percent, their worst election result in post-war Germany.
— Right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) wins its first seats in the federal parliament, also becoming the Bundestag’s third power in the process.
— The pro-business Free Democrats return to parliament, after missing the cut for the first time since the war last time around.
— The Greens and the Left hold station, scoring very similarly to four years ago.
— No coalitions are practically viable without Merkel’s CDU taking the lead. However, a repeat of the current “Grand Coalition” with the Social Democrats is not the chancellor’s only option.
— Turnout appears slightly higher than 2013’s level of 71.5 percent.

]]>66741President Radev wants Bulgarian children abroad to come homehttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/24/president-radev-wants-bulgarian-children-abroad-to-come-home/
Sun, 24 Sep 2017 04:00:38 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66727Bulgaria’s President Roumen Radev met with representatives of the Bulgarian expat community in New York City on Saturday, after visiting the local Bulgarian Orthodox Church. He thanked them for promoting […]]]>

Bulgaria’s President Roumen Radev met with representatives of the Bulgarian expat community in New York City on Saturday, after visiting the local Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

He thanked them for promoting their country in international institutions and the companies they work in. And he had a request. Radev said, he wanted to register Bulgarians and Bulgarian communities abroad, in order to make sure there is a connection between them and educational institutions, as well as businesses in Bulgaria.

Radev stated, a register would “facilitate communication with our fellow countrymen abroad, for using their professional expertise and experience.”

“In a global world, a country can not exist alone. Finance, investment, technology, scientific and cultural exchange, everything is connected. And when you succeed, it is a success for Bulgaria too”, he told the Bulgarian expats.

But the President’s goal is to create the conditions which will make Bulgarian’s abroad return to Bulgaria: “For me, Bulgaria will have succeeded when you tell your children to come back to study and work in it”, Radev said.

The head of state admitted that Bulgaria needs to create confidence in the Bulgarian institutions, and a sense of fairness in society, while fighting corruption in public procurement. “It is high time to punish corruptions, and to have an independent anti-corruption body to discipline the political class”, he stated.

Roumen Radev also thanked the Bulgarian expat community for their Saturday and Sunday schools. Those created conditions for children to preserve their native language, Radev said. “Bulgaria is where people talk and dream in Bulgarian.”

With Foreign Minister Zaharieva, the President travelled to New York City on September 18, in order to take part in the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations.

]]>66727Bulgaria: iPhone 8 to be available from September 29http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/24/bulgaria-iphone-8-to-be-available-from-september-29/
Sun, 24 Sep 2017 03:32:09 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66722To Apple iPhone users, the release of the next model always used to be a big day. In America, the waiting lines in front of Apple stores where shorter this […]]]>

To Apple iPhone users, the release of the next model always used to be a big day. In America, the waiting lines in front of Apple stores where shorter this time around. The reason is a matter of interpretation:

> Apple will not release its premium iPhone X until early November. That is the model many U.S. iPhone addicts are waiting for. Hence, shorter lines.

> Of course, Apple offered delivery services, and many consumers in North America, as well as in other countries where the iPhone 8 is available since Friday, ordered their iPhone 8 online. Hence, shorter lines.

> Apple asked customers not to stand in waiting lines on the first day, for security reasons. But they were encouraged to set up appointments at Apple stores. Hence …

> Of course, heretics in the U.S. said, the iPhone 8 was not that interesting anymore, compared to the first 7 models. That was their explanation for the shorter lines.

Whatever. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So is the general attractivity of the models iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which are already available in some European countries as well, including England, France and Germany.

In Bulgaria and other smaller countries, September 29 is the day of days. That is when the two less expensive (and less fancy) iPhone 8 models will hit the store shelves. So, Bulgarian Apple enthusiasts will have to wait for another five days.

Photo by Apple

]]>66722Wizz Air kills three flight connections from Sofia to the U.K.http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/24/wizz-air-kills-three-flight-connections-from-sofia-to-the-u-k/
Sun, 24 Sep 2017 02:54:07 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66717Wizz Air will discontinue its flights from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to Birmingham, Bristol, and Doncaster/Sheffield. From November 6, 2017, none of those flights will take place anymore. The low […]]]>

Wizz Air will discontinue its flights from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to Birmingham, Bristol, and Doncaster/Sheffield. From November 6, 2017, none of those flights will take place anymore.

The low cost airline said in a statement, those flight connections did not meet the expectations, meaning there were not enough passengers on those flights.

But Wizz Air promised “additional capacity on other flights”. Also, new flights from Sofia to Lisbon, Nice and Malaga were announced. Those are scheduled to start in March of 2018.

Regarding connections from Sofia to the United Kingdom, flights to London Luton are the only ones left.

Passengers who already booked flights to Birgimgham, Bristol, and Doncaster/Sheffield on or after November 6, 2017, have three choices:

> They can be booked on a different Wizz Air flight.

> They can choose to be reimbursed in full.

> They can choose to accept 120 percent of the fare they paid, for any future Wizz Air flights, on their Wizz Air account.

Wizz Air made its announcement about the end of those three flight connections after booked passengers had received cancellation e-mails and wondered why.

]]>66717Parliamentary elections in Germany: No new chancellor todayhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/24/parliamentary-elections-in-germany-no-new-chancellor-today/
Sun, 24 Sep 2017 02:32:09 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66700Far more than 60 million Germans are eligible to vote today. Everyone actually has two votes: The first one is for the candidates in the electoral district, the second and […]]]>

Far more than 60 million Germans are eligible to vote today. Everyone actually has two votes: The first one is for the candidates in the electoral district, the second and more important one is for the parties.

For example, a conservative voter living in Hamburg’s Eimsbüttel quarter would probably vote for Rüdiger Kruse, who is the local candidate for Angela Merkel’s party CDU. With his or her second vote, this person would likely choose the CDU. This one would count for the “province list” of candidates of that particular party.

The head of government, called chancellor in Germany, will actually not be voted for today. The new parliament will do so, at some point down the road, once the outcome of the elections has been digested, and once coalition talks have lead to success.

Hours before the elections, all parties on the ballots completed their campaigns. Chancellor Angela Merkel did so on Friday night at Munich’s Marienplatz, where hundreds of protesters gave her a whistling concert, as she stood on a large podium with Horst Seehofer, the leader of the CDU’s sister party CSU.

“By whistling and shouting, Germany’s future will not be shaped”, Merkel told her listeners.

Martin Schulz, the Social Democrats’ (SPD) top candidate, was on the last leg of his campaign tour in Nuremberg and Berlin. Things were not easy for him, since he was forced to distance himself from the head of the Grand Coalition his party is part of, Angela Merkel.

“It’s not my fault that (Mrs. Merkel) will always parrot whatever we say”, Schulz said. That one sentence actually described the main issue the SPD was facing during the campaign. Up until the era of Helmut Kohl, the Social Democrats were the major center-left force. Today, Mrs. Merkel gets credited for their policies.

Hours before the election, many German voters, close to one third of them, did not know yet if they were going to vote today, or which candidates and parties they would support. The party campaigns tried to convince those 20 million potential voters of their agendas.

The four smaller parties which, according to the latest polls, will make it into the Bundestag, fought for the third place as long as they could. They are the Liberals, the Greens, the Left and the “Alternative for Germany”, or Afd, which will be part of the parliament for the first time.

While many Germans are quite nervous, since the far-right AfD might end up with a two-digit result, Manfred Güllner, the boss of the polling institute Forsa, predicted a quick end to the phenomenon. He told the “Welt” daily, far-right groups of this kind had always destroyed themselves after a while. This would happen to the AfD too.

Güllner did confirm what most German media had said about the AfD’s nature all along: “They are radical right wingers from head to toe, including their programme, their candidates and their voters.”

Many undecided voters went for a “Wahl-O-Mat”, a website which asks users a few questions regarding their opinions on issues, and then tells them what parties they might be close to.

Whatever happens today will be discussed thoroughly, starting tonight, when the polling stations close at 6 pm local time (7 pm in Sofia, this publication’s base). Democratic candidates and parties will also accuse each other of everything, including paving the way for the AfD to hit the Bundestag.

In theory, a lot might happen, including the weirdest coalitions. But there is one single aspect the Germans and the world can rely on: The new chancellor will be the old one, Angela Merkel.

]]>66700Tragedy in the Black Sea: At least 21 refugees drownhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/23/tragedy-in-the-black-sea-at-least-21-refugees-drown-2/
Sat, 23 Sep 2017 04:06:43 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66695At least 21 refugees drowned in the Black Sea on Friday, when their boat sank, the Turkish Coastguard said. Between seven and nine people are still missing. Fourteen migrants were […]]]>

At least 21 refugees drowned in the Black Sea on Friday, when their boat sank, the Turkish Coastguard said. Between seven and nine people are still missing.

Fourteen migrants were rescued after the incident. According to reports from Turkey, a pregnant lady lost her baby during the rescue efforts.

The catastrophe occurred some 64 nautical miles from the Turkish town of Kefken. Up to 70 refugees, most of whom were Iraqi citizens, were aboard the boat, which reportedly was on its way to Romania. The fate of 36 passengers is not known.

In the past weeks, the Romanian and Bulgarian coastguards have found several refugee boats on that route,which were trying to bypass Bulgaria via the Black Sea.

Since the refugee crisis began, thousands of asylum seekers have died while trying to reach Western Europe. This includes refugees who froze to death in Bulgaria and neighbouting Serbia, and migrants who drowned in the Danube as well as the Black Sea.

Since the beginning of 2017 alone, more than 1,000 refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean.

Photo: Refugees on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea

]]>66695Bulgaria’s Ekaterina Zaharieva meets other female Foreign Ministershttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/23/bulgarias-ekaterina-zaharieva-meets-other-female-foreign-ministers/
Sat, 23 Sep 2017 03:39:07 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66689During her stay in New York City, during the 72nd General Assembly at the United Nations, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister for Justice Reform and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva took part in […]]]>

During her stay in New York City, during the 72nd General Assembly at the United Nations, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister for Justice Reform and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva took part in a meeting of female Foreign Ministers.

The two hosts, Liechtenstein’s Foreign Minister Aurelia Frick, and her colleague from Sweden, Margot Wallström, welcomed the ladies and called for gender equality in diplomacy. A day earlier, the organisation ‘U.N. Women’ had awarded Wallström with The Agent of Change Award for her commitment to gender equality.

Internationally, the Swedish politician is also known for problems she caused with her stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

During the meeting, Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop shared concerns about the ever-decreasing number of female politicians in Pacific states. As an example, she mentioned Papua New Guinea, where all of the 111 MPs are men.

This is the third informal meeting of women foreign ministers. More are expected.

Earlier on Friday, Minister Zaharieva met with her counterparts from Kazakhstan, Libya and Tunisia. “Bulgarian companies can use Kazakhstan as a starting point for entering Central Asia, a region that represents a market of 500 million people,” Kazakh Foreign Minister Kazakh Abrahmanov told Zaharieva.

The Bulgarian diplomat told her Tunisian colleague Khmajes Jhinjai, Bulgarian tourists liked Tunisia very much, as a holiday destination. She said the stabilization of the country would restore the visits from Bulgaria.

During her conversation with the Lybian Foreign Minister Mohammed Taha Ciela, Ekaterina Zaharieva said, many Bulgarians had worked in Lybia. “It is time to renew our ties and economic contacts.”

In the Lybia of Muammar Gaddafi, five Bulgarian nurses, who had worked there, were falsely accused to having infected 400 children with HIV deliberately, in 1998. They were initially sentenced to death. In 2007, they were extradited and sent back to Bulgaria. The drama had triggered a long lasting crisis between Bulgaria and Lybia, as well as diplomatic efforts by several countries.

Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia

]]>66689Bulgaria’s President Roumen Radev meets Bill Clinton in New York Cityhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/23/bulgarias-president-roumen-radev-meets-bill-clinton-in-new-york-city/
Sat, 23 Sep 2017 02:52:40 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66683Bill Clinton, the former President of the United States of America, who served from 1993 to 2001, wants to help Bulgaria have a more prominent presence in American business and […]]]>

Bill Clinton, the former President of the United States of America, who served from 1993 to 2001, wants to help Bulgaria have a more prominent presence in American business and society, Bulgaria’s President Roumen Radev said after meeting him in New York City.

In return, Radev wants to create the right conditions for American businesses in Bulgaria. He stated, there was a difference between “the extremely good level of bilateral cooperation and the lack of a presence of U.S. businesses in Bulgaria”.

President Radev (right) with President Clinton, who obviously was in a good mood.

“Bulgaria can attract many more US investors, but in order to do this, we need to do our homework. The fight against corruption must be really uncompromising”, Radev said after the meeting with Clinton. He indicated, that fight was a condition for investor confidence.

Radev has invited Clinton to visit Bulgaria again and deliver to a speech in front of Bulgarian students. So far, President Clinton has visited Bulgaria once, in 1999, when he was still in office.

Photos by the President’s office, Sofia

]]>66683Bulgaria: Snow on September 22, but where exactly?http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/22/bulgaria-snow-on-september-22-but-where-exactly/
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 13:04:42 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66670It was on September 22, 2017, when the first snow in months fell on Bulgaria. There are actually two places where it happened, but which ones? No, it was not […]]]>

It was on September 22, 2017, when the first snow in months fell on Bulgaria. There are actually two places where it happened, but which ones?

No, it was not the beach in Obzor. Neither did snow fall on Vitosha Boulevard in Sofia, in the Varna Sea Garden or on the ancient City Wall in Hisarya.

Where does snow fall in September? Well, at some place high. At 2,376 metres, to be precise. Anyone? The answer is Botev Peak, the highest point in the Balkan Montains.

The other spot which got a little snow today, and where the above photo was taken by Musala Meteo, is of course Musala Peak. Elevation: 2,925 metres. It’s the highest point in Bulgaria and part of the Rila mountain range. No, there are no traffic lights up there, and no H&M fashion stores, but a little snow.

There are actually people in this country who are happy about the first, rather modest layer of snow. One of them is Strahil Georgiev, a mountain pro, who hikes a lot. When he doesn’t, he will usually be found on his skis.

“There is more frost than snow”, Georgiev told The Sofia Globe. But he admitted it was snowing a little bit.

Strahil Georgiev is a professional multitasker who lives at the foot of the Rila mountains, in Samokov. He is a highly professional skiing and snowboard instructor. And he is waiting for more snow.

]]>66670ECB official warns EU candidate countries on risks of ‘unofficial euroisation’http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/22/ecb-official-warns-eu-candidate-countries-on-risks-of-unofficial-euroisation/
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 12:18:33 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66666A member of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) executive board has warned candidate and potential candidate countries for EU membership of the risks of “unofficial euroisation”. In a speech in […]]]>

A member of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) executive board has warned candidate and potential candidate countries for EU membership of the risks of “unofficial euroisation”.

In a speech in Sarajevo on September 22, Benoît Cœuré, a member of the executive board of the ECB, referred to a set of recommendations by the bank to candidate countries, including to strengthen the use of local currencies.

Cœuré said the high degree of unofficial euroisation is a striking feature of the banking systems in the Western Balkans.

In the region as a whole, on average 56 per cent of total loans and 52 per cent of total deposits are denominated in, or indexed to, foreign currencies, in most cases the euro, he said.

“This phenomenon, also known as currency substitution, is driven by many factors, such as low confidence in the domestic currency, which is often the result of not-so-distant memories of monetary instability.”

Another factor relates to the fact that the risk premium on loans in the domestic currency is higher, thereby providing an incentive to take out foreign currency loans. Lower funding costs, in turn, are often supported through strong integration with the euro area via trade and financial channels, but also via migration and remittances, which contribute to the holding of bank deposits in euro, Cœuré said.

All this is conducive to widespread unofficial “euroisation”, he said.

But a high degree of foreign currency use also has serious drawbacks. For example, unofficial euroisation, while being a sign of trust in the euro as a stable store of value, constitutes a financial stability risk in the event of sudden and substantial exchange rate fluctuations, Cœuré warned.

“Households and firms may suddenly no longer be able to service their foreign currency-denominated debt, creating credit risk for banks. The same holds true for dollarisation in other parts of the world, as the Asian financial crisis vividly demonstrated.”

Unofficial euroisation also impedes monetary policy transmission and may limit the overall room for manoeuvre of monetary policy, Cœuré said.

In countries that have opted to stabilise the exchange rate in the first place, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, maintaining the credibility of the framework remains central to keeping financial stability risks contained.

Prospective EU countries that have their own legal tender and monetary policy have recognised these risks and constraints, and are thus making efforts to promote the use of the local currency, in line with the ECB’s recommendations, Cœuré said.

“This is certainly not an easy task. Success crucially hinges upon the track record of the domestic monetary authority in maintaining monetary stability. To this end, central banks in the region have made laudable progress in recent years. Efforts need to be channelled towards extending this track record, ” he said.

“History teaches us that central banks’ success in sustainably maintaining confidence in the currency critically hinges on two elements: political independence and a clear mandate. The ECB was successfully built on these principles.”

Cœuré said that independence and a clear stability-oriented mandate ensure that central banks are not overburdened with pursuing other, potentially conflicting objectives, and that monetary policy makes the best possible contribution to growth and employment. “They are therefore also a necessary condition for strengthening the use of local currencies”.

Experience in other regions of the world – in Latin America, for example – suggests that targeted prudential measures as well as deeper local capital markets in domestic currency can reinforce the use of local currencies, he said.

“Such advances should ideally be embedded in a carefully designed comprehensive strategy involving all relevant stakeholders. Serbia adopted such strategies in 2012, and Albania has done so more recently, while other countries have started to put in place measures of this nature or are considering designing similar strategies.”

So progress is clearly visible, in particular on the lending side, but more remains to be done, Cœuré said.

“There are certainly no quick fixes, as currency substitution tends to be a sticky phenomenon.”

But the drawbacks of unofficial euroisation deserve policymakers’ attention, he said.

“The expectation that countries will at some point join the EU, and eventually also the euro area, should not divert attention from such policy efforts,” Cœuré said.

(Photo: Frank Schwichtenberg)

]]>66666Bulgaria’s GERB party remembers Holocaust victims in Rosh Hashanah messagehttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/22/bulgarias-gerb-party-remembers-holocaust-victims-in-rosh-hashanah-message/
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 09:11:57 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66659After Bulgaria’s nationalist United Patriots parliamentary group provoked controversy with a message on Rosh Hashanah that attacked the “enemies of Bulgaria” over Holocaust remembrance issues, the majority partner in government […]]]>

After Bulgaria’s nationalist United Patriots parliamentary group provoked controversy with a message on Rosh Hashanah that attacked the “enemies of Bulgaria” over Holocaust remembrance issues, the majority partner in government issued its own message reiterating condemnation of the Shoah and mourning for all its victims.

In a declaration in the National Assembly on September 21, the United Patriots, the minority partner in Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s government, hit out at “enemies of Bulgaria” that it said emphasised the murder of Jews from Bulgaria’s “new territories” in the Second World War while “downplaying” the prevention of the deportation of many thousands of Bulgarian Jews.

The United Patriots’ declaration drew sharp condemnation from the Shalom Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria.

Tsvetan Tsvetanov, parliamentary leader of Borissov’s GERB party, responded by issuing a declaration that opened by congratulating the Jewish community in Bulgaria on the coming of the year 5778, celebrated in Rosh Hashanah.

Tsvetanov’s statement made no direct reference to the United Patriots declaration, but went on to say that the connection between all religious groups, part of the Bulgarian people, has proved its unshakable resilience in the most difficult and gloomy years of human history.

He said that during the Holocaust, a time of the most cruel persecutions and pillages against Jews, Bulgaria had defended its siblings.

Tsvetanov issued a reminder that those who had stood alongside their compatriots of Jewish origin were the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, representatives of Bulgarian insitutions and the Bulgarians themselves, who had been adamant in the face of the terror that marked Europe.

“As a result, 48 000 Bulgarian Jews were rescued from the death camps. Many others received Bulgarian visas and managed to leave for countries where they lived safely, capable of defining their lives and their future.”

He added that, “at the same time, we also remember those who have been deprived of the opportunity to live free in a world of tolerance and peace, a world in which the lives and rights of every human being are equally respected”.

Tsvetanov said that GERB shared the position declared by Bulgaria’s National Assembly on March 8 2013, “stating that we sincerely and deeply mourn for all the victims of the Holocaust, express our deep respect for their memory, and most severely condemn genocide committed by Hitler’s Germany that destroyed six million Jews in Europe just because they were born as God created them”.

“We should preserve the memory and with sadness read the pages of history, in the name of a worthy present and an even better future,” Tsvetanov said.

]]>66659Eurostat: 685 first-time asylum-seekers in Bulgaria in Q2 2017http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/22/eurostat-685-first-time-asylum-seekers-in-bulgaria-in-q2-2017/
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 09:10:42 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66662A total of 685 people became first-time asylum-seekers in Bulgaria in the second quarter of 2017, EU statistics agency Eurostat said on September 22. The three largest groups of first-time […]]]>

A total of 685 people became first-time asylum-seekers in Bulgaria in the second quarter of 2017, EU statistics agency Eurostat said on September 22.

The three largest groups of first-time asylum applicants in Bulgaria during this time were from Syria, 235, and from Afghanistan and Iraq, 160 each.

Compared with Bulgaria’s overall population, this represents a proportion of 97 first-time asylum-seekers per million of population.

The number of first-time asylum-seekers in Bulgaria in the second quarter of 2017 represented 0.5 per cent of the EU total, of 149 000.

Eurostat said that the second quarter of 2017 was the third consecutive quarter that had seen a decrease in the number of first-time asylum-seekers.

]]>66662Bulgaria: Electronic road tax vignettes to be introducedhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/22/bulgaria-electronic-road-tax-vignettes-to-be-introduced-2/
Fri, 22 Sep 2017 03:18:15 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66644A new toll system will be introduced in Bulgaria, within two years, according to the national Road Infrastructure Agency. The system will have advantages for drivers, and for the authorities, since […]]]>

A new toll system will be introduced in Bulgaria, within two years, according to the national Road Infrastructure Agency. The system will have advantages for drivers, and for the authorities, since checking vehicles for valid road tax vignettes will be easier.

The price for a vignette valid for one year will not change, Darik News reported. This means, it will be 97 Leva, the equivalent of 50 Euro. Once the system starts working, vignettes will be purchased online. But drivers who do not have the opportunity to do so, can still register and pay at gas stations.

Once a driver pays the road tax, the registration number of the car he or she uses will be entered into the system. All vehicles moving on Bulgarian motorways and roads will be checked constantly. These checks will happen electronically. Little cameras will register the vehicles on the roads and determine, which ones do not have electronic vignettes.

The owners of vehicles without road tax vignette will be fined by police patrols, or they will receive tickets by mail.

One of the advantages for drivers: There will be one-day-vignettes, the price for which has not been set so far. A spokesman for the Road Infrastructure Agency told Darik News, at this point, printing a vignette sticker for one day would cost more than the price for such a vignette. Therefore, one-day-vignette will only make sense as part of the new, electronic system.

At this point, there are three types of sticker vignettes for regular passenger vehicles. Weekly ones are 15 Leva (8 Euro), monthly ones 30 Leva (15 Euro), and yearly ones 97 Leva (50 Euro). They can only be checked by the police on the road.

Theft is one of the problems connected to the old vignette stickers. There have been quite a few cases in which thieves cut out the parts of windshields which contained annual vignettes.

For driving in Bulgarian cities or towns, no vignettes are required. But for any motorway or country road, even for those which resemble Swiss cheese more than anything, they are required.

]]>66644Bulgaria’s long weekend weather – cloudy with a chance of rainhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/21/bulgarias-long-weekend-weather-cloudy-with-a-chance-of-rain/
Thu, 21 Sep 2017 14:24:33 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66642Bulgaria heads into a long weekend from September 22 to 24, which once again is expected to create traffic congestion at the exits from Sofia, while the weather forecast promises […]]]>

Bulgaria heads into a long weekend from September 22 to 24, which once again is expected to create traffic congestion at the exits from Sofia, while the weather forecast promises cooler temperatures and scattered rainshowers.

September 22, a Friday this year, is Bulgaria’s Independence Day. Given the opportunity for an Independence Day weekend breakaway to the Black Sea, the mountains, other cities in Bulgaria or Greece or Turkey, there may not be that many who choose to remain in the capital Sofia.

If the past is any indication, traffic congestion is to be expected on the major thoroughfares out of the city on the afternoon and evening of September 21, as well as the morning of September 22. The same can be said of the second half of September 24, when inbound traffic into the city is expected to spike.

The weather over the long weekend is expected to be mainly cloudy, but not without occasional sunny spells. A cold front will sweep over the country on Friday but temperatures are expected to gradually increase as the weekend progresses.

On Friday, September 22, rain is expected in parts of western and northern Bulgaria, turning to snow in the mountains above 2000m altitude, with temperatures ranging from lows of 5-9 degrees Celsius in western Bulgaria to 13-14C on the Black Sea coast. Daily highs will range from 13C in Sofia to 23-24C in eastern Bulgaria.

September 23 will bring slightly warmer temperatures, with daily highs in the 18-20C in western Bulgaria and up to 25C at the Black Sea coast, which is likely to see some scattered rain.

On Sunday, September 24, the chance of rain is minimal, while temperatures will continue to rise, with daily highs in the 20-25C range. The night-time temperatures, however, are expected to remain in the single digits throughout most of the country, with the exception of the coast, where the daily lows are expected to be 13C.

(Photo: Leah Sawyer)

]]>66642Shalom organization of Bulgarian Jews irked by ‘Patriots’ declaration on Rosh Hashanahhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/21/shalom-organization-of-bulgarian-jews-irked-by-patriots-declaration-on-rosh-hashanah/
Thu, 21 Sep 2017 14:19:23 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66638The Shalom Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria has responded with extreme concern to a declaration in Parliament by the nationalist United Patriots group, that used the occasion of Rosh […]]]>

The Shalom Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria has responded with extreme concern to a declaration in Parliament by the nationalist United Patriots group, that used the occasion of Rosh Hashanah to take a sideswipe at “enemies” of Bulgaria over the events of 1943.

During the Second World War, the majority of Bulgarian society stood up to successfully resist the deportation of Bulgarian Jews to the death camps of the Holocaust where more than six million Jews were murdered. In 1943, the planned deportations of Bulgarian Jews were postponed and never carried out.

However, Bulgaria allowed the deportation of more than 11 000 Jews from the “new territories” under its administration in northern Greece and Yugoslavia. All but a very few of these Jews were murdered in Treblinka within a few days of their arrival.

In a declaration in the National Assembly in Sofia on September 21, marking the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the United Patriots – a grouping of far-right and nationalist parties that is the minority partner in government – accused “enemies of Bulgaria” of downplaying the prevention of the deportation of the Bulgarian Jews while emphasising what had happened to those in northern Greece and Yugoslavia.

“Today, the enemies of Bulgaria, actively supported by people with no country born here, try to downplay this fact and stick a shameful accusation against the Bulgarians, deleting the memory of salvation, emphasizing only the fallen Jews from Macedonia and Thrace,” the United Patriots’ declaration said.

In its response, Shalom said that the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews is a historical fact that neither the Jewish community in Bulgaria nor the Bulgarian Jews in Israel and their descendants will forget.

“However, the deportation of the Jews from the territories administered by Bulgaria during the Second World War is also a fact, and denying that is an attempt to erase the memory of those who died in the death camps, and to rewrite history.”

Shalom said that it has a political position on the issue of the fate of the Jews under Bulgarian rule during the years of the Holocaust in Europe. This position was adopted by the organization’s highest body, the Management Board (Consistory) in 2011.

The position said that in the years of the Second World War, the Bulgarian Jews were saved from deportation to the Nazi death camps. This salvation was the result of the actions of the majority of the Bulgarian people, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian non-fascist community. For this action, Bulgarian Jews will be grateful eternally.

It added that the deportation of the Jews from Aegean Thrace, Vardar Macedonia and the town of Pirot at the time these territories were under Bulgarian administration in the years of the Second World War is a historical fact that cannot be denied.

“We, the Bulgarian Jews, mourn for the innocent victims, honour and will in the future continue to honour their memory.

“The blame for the deportation of the Jews from these territories lies with the German authorities, along with the Bulgarian pro-Nazi government. It is therefore important that the Bulgarian Government, at a time and place that it deems fit, should accept moral responsibility for the actions of the pro-Nazi government towards the Jews in the period 1941-1943,” the position adopted in 2011 said.

“Historical facts about the fate of the Jews during the Second World War in Bulgaria and in the territories administered by the Bulgarian pro-Nazi government cannot be a reason for anti-Bulgarian propaganda today and in the future,” Shalom said.

(Photo: sufeco/flickr.com)

]]>66638Bulgarian government sets limits on movement of asylum-seekershttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/21/bulgarian-government-sets-limits-on-movement-of-asylum-seekers/
Thu, 21 Sep 2017 13:02:30 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66636The Bulgarian government, at a meeting on September 21, imposed limits on the movements of asylum-seekers housed at various refugee centres in the country. A statement said that the government […]]]>

The Bulgarian government, at a meeting on September 21, imposed limits on the movements of asylum-seekers housed at various refugee centres in the country.

A statement said that the government had defined perimeters for the movement of asylum-seekers accommodated in the registration and reception centres of the State Agency for Refugees in Sofia, Harmanli, Banya and the transit centre in the village of Pastrogor.

“The aim is to introduce strict administrative control during the procedure for granting protection to foreigners,” the statement said.

In terms of the Asylum and Refugees Act, during the procedure for granting international protection, the foreigner would have the right to move within the designated administrative area on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, but would not be able to leave this area.

In view of the legal obligation of asylum-seekers not to enter the border area of ​​Bulgaria, people accommodated in the registration and reception centre of the State Agency for Refugees in Harmanli may move within the defined perimeter on the territory of Haskovo district, but not the border zone.

Those staying at a transit centre in the village of Pastrogor may move within the territory of the Haskovo district, but not the border area, except for the territory of the village of Pastrogor, the statement said.

Those staying at the reception centre in Sofia would not be allowed to leave the territory of the city of Sofia, while those in the village of Banya would be restricted to the Sliven district, the statement said.

]]>66636Defence Minister: Jet fighters that Bulgaria gets should be newhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/21/defence-minister-jet-fighters-that-bulgaria-gets-should-be-new/
Thu, 21 Sep 2017 12:39:24 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66633The jet fighters that Bulgaria plans to acquire should be new, Bulgarian Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov said on September 21, the day after a special parliamentary committee recommended going back […]]]>

The jet fighters that Bulgaria plans to acquire should be new, Bulgarian Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov said on September 21, the day after a special parliamentary committee recommended going back to the drawing board in the acquisition process.

Earlier in 2017, it became clear that an interdepartmental committee of experts had ranked, out of three bids to supply aircraft, Sweden’s Gripen as the best option, financially and technically.

The Gripen offer was the only one to involve newly-made aircraft. Portugal offered second-hand US-made F-16s and Italy offered second-hand Eurofighters.

After the Borissov government initially signalled readiness to begin negotiations on acquiring the Gripens, a backtrack began, amid a complicated political game that has included trying to use the debate around the fighter jet acquisition as a tool against President Roumen Radev, formerly the commander of the Air Force.

Karakachanov told reporters that one option was to start talks again with the three companies that had submitted bids.

If the National Assembly did not impose any restrictions, the “perimeter” of the negotiations could be extended, he said.

The other option was to open a completely new procedure, that is, to also accept offers from non-EU and Nato countries.

Karakachanov said that Bulgaria could buy aircraft produced in Nato and EU countries but currently owned by a third country.

“Let Parliament still formally vote, there may be other decisions in the plenary, but it is clear that new negotiations will be going on,” he said.

According to Karakachanov, the Defence Ministry would “play the ball correctly”.

“It is important for me for it to be transparent, because this is a lot of money – 1.5 billion leva for eight aircraft and then straight afterwards, the same for eight more,” he said.

He added that it was “mandatory” for the aircraft to be new, “not second or third-hand”.

It was not yet clear whether money would be allocated for new fighters in Budget 2018. The government’s intention is for the three projects to modernise the military to run in parallel, Karakachanov said.

Apart from the planned fighter jet acquisitions, Bulgaria also intends acquiring two naval patrol vessels, and armoured vehicles for the land forces.

]]>66633Patriot games: Nationalists in Bulgarian Parliament make politics of Rosh Hashanahhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/21/patriot-games-nationalists-in-bulgarian-parliament-make-politics-of-rosh-hashanah/
Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:41:32 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66624The United Patriots, the grouping of nationalist and far-right parties that is the minority partner in Bulgaria’s government, made a formal declaration in the National Assembly on September 21 marking […]]]>

The United Patriots, the grouping of nationalist and far-right parties that is the minority partner in Bulgaria’s government, made a formal declaration in the National Assembly on September 21 marking Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year – laced with a political sideswipe against the “enemies of Bulgaria”.

The Jewish year 5778 began on the evening of September 20.

In Parliament, United Patriots MP Alexander Sidi read the statement, congratulating the Bulgarian Jewish community on the new year.

“Jews in Bulgaria are an example of successful integration. An example that all minority groups in our homeland should follow. The Bulgarian Jews have died side by side with their Bulgarian brothers on the battlefields in defence of the Motherland. And the tolerant Bulgarian people replied with the same, creating the miracle of salvation,” the declaration said.

It said that in 1943, Bulgaria had carried out a highly humane act that saved 60 000 people from certain death, who would have been sent to death camps purely because of their ethnic origin.

“Today, the enemies of Bulgaria, actively supported by people with no country born here, try to downplay this fact and stick a shameful accusation against the Bulgarians, deleting the memory of salvation, emphasizing only the fallen Jews from Macedonia and Thrace,” the declaration said.

These passages referred to the fact that in 1943, planned deportations of Bulgarian Jews to the death camps of the Holocaust where more than six million Jews died at the hands of the Hitler regime were not carried out. The deportations were postponed because of stern opposition from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, politicians notably including then Deputy Speaker Dimitar Peshev, as well as a range of Bulgarian society from leading intellectuals and professionals to ordinary people in the cities and the countryside.

In May 1943, there were large-scale deportations of Bulgarian Jews from Sofia and other cities into internal exile in country villages. As a result of the anti-Semitic Defence of the Nation Act of 1940, adult male Jews were put in labour camps where condition were harsh, while a number were detained in political prison camps such as Samovit in northern Bulgaria.

While the deportation of Bulgarian Jews was prevented, Bulgaria allowed the deportation of Jews from the “new lands” in northern Greece and parts of Yugoslavia placed under Bulgarian administration on behalf of Nazi Germany. The vast majority of these more than 11 000 Jews were murdered in Treblinka soon after their arrival.

The rationale of the Bulgarian authorities of the time was that these deportations from the “new lands” could not be stopped because the Jews there were not Bulgarian citizens. However, the earlier anti-Semitic legislation had provided that they would not be granted Bulgarian citizenship.

The United Patriots’ declaration said that the beginning of a New Year was a time to take stock.

“For the Jews, in the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a book is opened in heaven, in which the Lord records the works of every man, and he has the opportunity to change and correct his mistakes.

“That is why we too must learn from our mistakes today and do so to remember our past and to live together in the future,” the declaration said.

(Photo: Zak Kolar/flickr.com)

]]>66624EU survey: 76% of Muslims feel strongly attached to the European country they live inhttp://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/21/eu-survey-76-of-muslims-feel-strongly-attached-to-the-european-country-they-live-in/
Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:06:36 +0000http://sofiaglobe.com/?p=66622Most Muslims in the European Union have a high sense of trust in democratic institutions despite experiencing widespread discrimination and harassment, according to a new major survey by the European […]]]>

Most Muslims in the European Union have a high sense of trust in democratic institutions despite experiencing widespread discrimination and harassment, according to a new major survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).

The survey captures the experiences of Muslim immigrants and their EU-born children, revealing that public attitudes have changed all too little over the last decade, FRA said on September 21.

Among the key findings was that 76 per cent of Muslims polled feel strongly attached to the country they live in.

However, 31 per cent of those seeking work have been discriminated against over the past five years.

Forty-two per cent of those polled who had been stopped by the police over the past year said this happened because of the migrant or ethnic minority background.

“Our survey results make a mockery of the claim that Muslims aren’t integrated into our societies. On the contrary, we see a trust in democratic institutions that is higher than much of the general population,” FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty said.

“However, every incident of discrimination and hate crime hampers their inclusion and reduces their chances of finding employment. We risk alienating individuals and their communities, with potentially perilous consequences.”

“I am encouraged by the confidence of Europe’s Muslim communities in our public institutions and rule of law, despite the individual challenges of discrimination which they attest to,” European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said.

“But I am disheartened by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s report which shows that over the past five years almost one in three Muslims feel that they have been discriminated against when looking for work, but that only 12 per cent of Muslims have reported the latest cases of discrimination. I want to assure our Muslim citizens that the European Commission will not tolerate intolerance. It goes against our values and our laws.”

European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourová says: “The Fundamental Rights Agency report shows that discrimination against Muslims is too widespread. I’m especially concerned about the challenges faced by Muslim women in Europe. It is now our duty both at European, national and local level to make sure that anti-discrimination measures are respected and that the Muslim community can trust the police”.

The report suggests a number of solutions, including effective sanctions for violations of anti-discrimination legislation, reinforcement of trust in the police through targeted outreach activities, and greater efforts to increase the participation of Muslims in decision-making processes.

(Photo, of a mosque in the Bulgarian town of Assenovgrad: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)